Vitória da Conquista
Vitória da Conquista is a city in Bahia, Brazil, which serves as a regional center for the smaller cities Barra do Choça, Planalto and Poções. These cities on the plateau, all at around 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) elevation, form the basis of a strong, traditional, coffee-producing region, as well as a rapidly expanding center for new businesses.
Vitória da Conquista | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
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| Coordinates: 14°51′57″S 40°50′20″W | |
| Country | Brazil |
| Region | Northeast |
| State | Bahia |
| Founded | November 9, 1840 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Herzem Gusmao Pereira (PMDB) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,204.257 km2 (1,237.171 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 923 m (3,028 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 346,069 |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC-3) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-2 (UTC-2) |
| Area code(s) | 77 |
| Website | Prefeitura de Vitória da Conquista |
Vitória da Conquista (known as simply "Conquista" by locals—in order to differentiate it from the city of Vitória in the state of Espírito Santo) is the third largest city in the state of Bahia, after the state’s capital, Salvador, and Feira de Santana. Its population, according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) was 346,069 in 2016. It was named after the colony of Vitória da Conquista.
Climate
The city has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb/Cwa, according to the Köppen climate classification), relatively dry and moderated in temperature by the elevation. It closely borders a tropical savanna climate (Aw). The altitude of the city itself varies between 857 meters (2811 feet) and 950 meters (3116 feet). Precipitation from April to August is often characterized by fine, misty rain, while heavier rains fall from October to March. Winters (July through October) tend to lack much precipitation but are cool and humid, with cold air coming up to the plateau from the ocean and often producing fog.
Mean temperature varies from a low of 17.8 °C (64 °F) in July to 21.8 °C (71 °F) in March. Mean rainfall ranges from 17.9 mm (.7 inches) in July to 127.8 mm (5 inches) in December. (1961-1990 trends from Hong Kong Observatories).
The vegetation ranges from very dry and coarse (1,000 meters and above) to an array of grasses, ferns and palms at slightly lower elevations on the plateau. This is the coffee-growing elevation (MEDEIROS, Ruy H. A., Notas Críticas ao livro "O Município da Vitória" de Tranquilino Torres, p. 87).
| Climate data for Vitória da Conquista | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 26.9 (80.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.2 (81.0) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
25.3 (77.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.5 (70.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
19.8 (67.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.2 (68.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 17.3 (63.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.0 (59.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
16.2 (61.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 108.8 (4.28) |
64.5 (2.54) |
87.4 (3.44) |
58.4 (2.30) |
19.4 (0.76) |
20.7 (0.81) |
17.9 (0.70) |
18.0 (0.71) |
30.0 (1.18) |
56.5 (2.22) |
124.5 (4.90) |
127.8 (5.03) |
733.9 (28.87) |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory [1] | |||||||||||||
History
Vitória da Conquista was founded in 1783, after several battles against the native Imboré and Mongoió tribes by João Gonçalves da Costa, born in Chaves, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal.
Costa had served the portuguese crown during Joseph I's kingdom, fighting the natives, conquering their land, and attempting to convert them to Christianity. He founded the Arraial da Conquista ("Conquest Town") near the site of the last battles and began the building of a church in honour of the Holy Mother of Victory.
At the same time, João Gonçalves da Costa was ordered to lead the construction of two of the principal roads in the state of Bahia, one from Vitória da Conquista to the city of Ilhéus on the coast and another from Vitória da Conquista to the Jequitinhonha River in Minas Gerais. Today, the latter road has become part of the larger federal highway system, and is known as the Rio-Bahia — BR-116.
In 2019, Vitória da Conquista was named the 10th most violent city in the world by the Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice in Mexico.[2]
Business and trade
The major economic activities are commerce, medical services, and coffee growing. The city is home to the main campus of Southwest Bahia State University.
The business atmosphere is energetic and in full blown expansion mode. From larger businesses such as Grupo Marinho de Andrade (Teiú and Revani), Coca-Cola, Dilly Calçados (shoes), Umbro, BahiaFarma and Café Maratá, to the smallest cottage industries, the area continues to attract strong interest. The best place for holding events in the city is the Miraflores Arena.
The entrepreneurial Ymborés Industrial Park (Centro Industrial dos Ymborés) lies on the outskirts of the city along with industries such as ceramics, granite/marble, shoes, toilet valves, cleaning products, bedding, and many others. Micro industries produce safes, candles, clothing, packaging, and hundreds of other products for local consumption and export.
As a business center, Vitoria da Conquista serves the entire southwestern region of the state of Bahia and the northern part of the state of Minas Gerais.
Connectivity
Vitória da Conquista is served by Glauber Rocha Airport.
Notable people
- Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira aka "Minotauro" — mixed martial artist
- Glauber Rocha — film director, actor and screenwriter
References
- "Climatological Information for Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- "Metodología del ranking (2019) de las 50 ciudades más violentas del mundo" [Methodology of the 2019 ranking of the 50 most violent cities in the world]. Seguridad, Justicia y Paz (in Spanish). 1 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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